Anne Maguire

'There is truth in the saying that 'as one door closes, another opens' – all we have to do is look and take the leap! In 2010, this happened to me.

'My children had all finished university and college and were now making their own way in life. I had for some time debated the option of retirement. So, with a thrill of excitement and a slight fear of the unknown, I went on my venture to endeavour to relax and at last do all of the things I had tried to squeeze into a busy life.

'Although I became involved in many different activities my passion for cycling brought me into contact with a group of older people who call themselves the 'Wednesday Wobbly Wheelers', a branch of Cyclists Touring Club (CTC). We meet at Central Station in Belfast and clasping our precious Senior Smart Pass cards, take our bikes on board a train to different destinations across NI (sometimes beyond) and disembark to cycle 10-30 miles. Our travel cards support us to stay active and in touch with our friends. After much bike talk and banter over lunch (and occasionally a tune on the harmonica from Victor) we cycle on to another station, board the train and head home.

'Many of these amazing people have taken up cycling in later life and many like myself have been involved for a lifetime. Their secret is to always be active, physically or mentally, and enjoy the craic of like-minded people.'